Schools

Sporting Organisations

Swim, bike, run – so much fun!

For Upper Mt Gravatt State School, access to a qualified coach and the resources to deliver the program is where they have seen the value for their students.

Physical Education Specialist and Sports Coordinator, Stephen Good is thrilled with the Sporting Schools program, believing that it provided a new experience to his students that they would not have otherwise been able to have.

“Without the funding we would not have been able to purchase sporting equipment to support the implementation of the program, or provide our students with access to specialised coaching,” Stephen said.

The Triathlon program provided a new and exciting experience for students that also supported existing physical education initiatives at the school.

“At our school we have a running club where students train for cross country, to participate in park runs and to just keep fit,” he said.

“We also organise bike week which encourages students to bring their bikes to school and participate in rides with their friends and peers,” he said.

“It seemed like a natural progression to bring those elements together and encourage students to try a new sport,” he said.

NSO-endorsed coach, Trent Patten from Red Dog Triathlon Training ran the four week program with 26 students from Year 4-6.

The program was broken up into segments; week one focused on swimming skills, week two on transitioning from swimming to bike skills, and week three focused on developing running skills.

In the final week, Trent ran a triathlon at the school which gave the students an opportunity to demonstrate the skills that they had developed over the course of the program.

“Trent is very knowledgeable regarding triathlon and has implemented a number of training drills that caters for all ability levels of the students involved in this program,” Stephen said.

Following the success of their program, Mt Gravatt State School have plans to hold a Triathlon event for students in Year 4-6, as well as a simplified ‘Try-athlon’ version for students in Year 3-4.

Sporting Schools is a $160 million Australian Government initiative to get more children playing more sport, before, during and after school. Want to run a Triathlon program at your school? Check out all the details on the Triathlon Australia page.